Coin counting machine



My l2, 1931. E. P. DONNELLAN l 1,805,079". r

G01N COUNTING MACHINE Fild April 15, 1930 TTORNEK Patented May 12,' 1931r mrs 'tres Aeriiiiiii ermee EDWARD?. DONNELLAN, F BROKLYN, NEVI YORK, ASSIGNGB TO STANDARD-JOHNSON COlllE'ANY, INC., OF BRGGKLYN, NERE] YGRK, i?. CGTE'GRi-CT'GF NEVI YORK COIN COUNTING MACHINE Application filed April 15,

rlhis invention relates,'generally, toimprovements in coin counting machines of the general type shown and described in Bock Patent :M -1,160,830, dated Nov. 16, 1915 and ,f in Donnellan Patent #1,389,634, dated Sept. 6,1921. n v n This invention has for its principal object to provide in combination witlithe locking' devices of counting.V mechanism, a novel means for automatically moving the coin propelling wheel to an inactive position when the counting mechanism locks upon compley ployed in the above described views, to indi- .cate corresponding-parts.

tion of the count of a predetermined number of coins, and whereby said coin propelling l wheel resumes active position ywhen the counting mechanism is released for further counting. f -f v Heretofore, incoiii counting machines of the kind here involved, the rotating coin pro- 2@ pelling wheel, which operates to vforce coinsv successively in actuating engagement with the star wheel of the'counting mechanism, when thecounting mechanism locked against further passage of coins, remained in contact with a following coin restrained against movement by the locked counting mechanism. Since the propellingwheel is urged into frictional engagement with the coins, its continued rotation in contact with a blocked coin was both detrimentalto the coin and to the surface of the propelling wheel, since the resultant rubbing friction tended to quickly wear down the wheel surface, requiring-frequent replacement of the wheel, while the coin faces would be lmore or less abradedy By the novel means; provided by the present inventionsuch wear and abrasion is avoided,

since immediately the counting mechanism c is locked, the rotating propelling Wheel is*y lifted away from the blocked coin, and is permitted to rot-ate' freely out ofy contact therewith untilsuch 'time as the counting mechanism is released for further countingby coin movement past the star wheel thereof.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly` Vunderstood from thev following detailed description of the/same. n f l An illustrative embodiment of mechanism forthe purposes above set'forth made accordbearing yface of suitable frictional material 15.

193e. `semi no. 444,388.

ing to the principlesl of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in

Fig. 1 is a top plan .view of portions of a coin counting. machine, with parts in section, the same showing the coin propelling control mechanism of this invention; Fig. 2 lis a longitudinal vertical section, taken on line 2-2 in said F ig. 1; andr Fig. 3is a fragmentary transverse vertical section, taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2.' v

`fiinilar characters of reference are emv Referring now to saiddrawings, thereference character 4 indicates the centrifugal yrotatable feed table which is boundedby the coin guidingwa-ll 5 in connection with which there is a coin escape passageway 6 leading a-way'from said feed table. The feed table 4 is mounted with its upper surface flush with the bed-plate 7 of the machine.

Mounted on' said bed-plate 7 is an inner bearing member 8 and an outer bearing memberV 9 in which .are respectivelyl arranged sleeves 10 and 11. Journaled insaid bearing sleeves v10 and `11 is a shaft'lQ, upon the outer end of which is fixed a belt ldriven pulley 13 by which theshaft is rotated from Athe powerA transmission ofv the machine.

Fixed on the inner end of said shaft 12 is a propelling wheel-141, having a peripheral Said propelling wheel 121 is disposed opposite the coin escape-passageway 6, so as to engage coins thrown outwardly therethrough 'from the rotatablefeed table 11, and thereupon urge the same forward in ,actuating engagement `with' a lcoin Vcounting mechanism;A A coin backing platelfisprovided outwardly ofthe propelling wlieelto hold the coins moved outwardly by the latter in engagement with the counter disk oristar wheel of' the coin counting mechanism. y v v j l y The reference character 17 .indicates a counter disk or. star-wheel provided at its; periphery with a series of marginal depressions adapted to be engaged by the perimeter of a coin-propelled in contact therewith by said propelling wheel 14. Preferably said ve0 y marginal depressions are ten in number since in counting coins or the like it is customary to count in multiples of ten. Said counter disk or star-wheel is secured to a vertical spindle 18 which is journaled at its lower end in the bed-plate 7, and at its upper end in the top wall of a housing- 19 which encloses counting loch mechanism. paid spindle 13 is utilized to transmit actuating impulses to a total adder or register t not shown) which is exteriorly mounted on the housing 19. Thecounter disk or star-wheel lies fiatupon the bed-plate 7 so that it projects into the path of movement of coins delivered to and propelled by the propelling' wheel. Rotatably mounted on a journal. stud 20r is a gear wheel 21 which meshes with a spur gear 22 fixed upon said spindle 18. Said gear whee 21 has a preferable ratio of revolution to said spur gear 22 of one to five. Also rotatable on said journal stud 20 is a locl; dish 23. Said lock disk 23 is coupled with said gear wheel 21, so as to rotate therewith, by means of a driving` stud 24 carried by the latter which enters a slot 25 of the former. 13etween the forward end of said slot 25 and the driving stud 24 is a compression spring 26 which permits at proper times a relative rotative movement of lock disk 23 and gear wheel 21.k Pvoted on a fulcrum stud 27 is a lock lever 28, which extends along` one side of said loch-disk 23, with its free end 29 e2;- teriorly projecting from the front of the housingr 19. Said lock lever 28 is provided with a laterally projecting lock-tongue 30, which at proper times enters a lock notch 31 formed in the periphery of said lock-disk 23. A spring actuated thrust means 32 is connected with said lock lever 28 to normally urge the same toward the lock-disk 23.

Fixed upon said spindle 18 is a ratchet wheel 33 which is yieldablyengaged by a spring-pressed paw 34, these parts servingto prevent both over-throw and backward movementof the counter-disk or star-wheel and the above-described locl devices.

Ilxtendinn downwardly through a slot 35 in the bed-plate 7 at a point adjacent to said lock lever 28 is a lever-member 36, which is pivoted on a fulcrum pin 37. ySaid levermember 36 is biased by a spring 33 to swing` its upper end toward the lock lever 28. Journaled in a bearing 39V on the under side ofthe bed-plate 7 is a rock-shaft 40. Fixed on the outer end of said rock-shaft 40 is a crankarm 41. The lower end of said lever-inember 36 is connected with said crank-arm 41 by a connecting rod or link 42. FiXedlon the inner end of said rock-shaft 4() is a liftcam 43 which is disposed beneath the location of the inner bearing member S of the propelling' wheel shaft 12. Vertically slidable through said bearing member 8 1s a liftpin or jack-rod 44, the same being' biased toward the lift cam 43 by a spring 45'. The

upper end of said lift pin or jack-rod 44 bears against the under side of the bearinzgl sleeve 10. Said bearing,` member' 8 possesses a vertical bearing slot 46 through which said bearing' sleeve 10 extends, whereby a limited degree of vertical or up and down movement of said bearingl sleeve 10 and the forward end of shaft 12 is permitted. Said bearing,- sleeve 10 and forward end of shaft 12 are yielda ly urged to normal seated relation in the lower end of said bearing slot by a spring pressed plunger 47 carried by the cap of said bearing member 8, all whereby said shaft 12 is normally held in level position wherein it disposes the propelling wheel 14 in operative coin propelling position.

ln the operation of the mechanism, 'the lock lever 28 is swung to the left against the tension of the spring' thrust means 32, whereby its loch-tongue 30 is withdrawn from the .lock-notch 31 or the lock-disk 23. lli/Then said lock-tongue 30 is disengaged from said locknotcli 3l, the spring 26 will cause a limited forward rotative movement of the lock-disk 23 independent of the gear-wheel 21, whereby the periphery of said lock-disk 23 is opposed to the lock-tongue 30 so as to rride thereon.

lllVhen the parts are in this position, the upper arm ofthe lever member 36 is swung` to the left to lie in the path of trip movement of said lock lever 28, while the lower arm of the lever member 36 is swung' to the right, whereby said rock-shaft 40 is turned teinactive position in which the jacli-rodv44 is lowered. and the propelling wheel 14 and its shaft 12 is in turn lowered to operating' position. how as coins or the like are fed outwardly by the centrifugal feed plate 4, the same will pass through the escape passageway 6 so as to be frictionally engaged by 'die propelling wheel 14, and thus forcibly moved past the counter-disk or star-wheel 17 with actuating' effect thereupon. As coins are successively moved .into actuating engagement with said counter-disk or star-wheel 17, the rotation thereof will be transmitted through the spindle 18 and spur gear 22 to the gear wheel 21, thus rotating the latter. The roiation of said gear wheel causes the coupling` stud 24 to compress the spring* 26 and thereupon transmit rotative movement to the lockdisk 23. In the illustrative arrangement shown in the accompanying drawings, the passing' of fiftycoins or the like in actuating engagement with the star-wheel 17 will produce one complete revolution of the gearwheel 21 and lock disk 23 driven thereby. On the passing' of the iiftieth coin, the locknotch 31 will be brought opposite the locktongue 30 of the lock lever 28, so that the spring` thrust means 32' serving the latter will swing the same to the right as said lool.; tongue enters said lock-notch. j The resultant interlocking` engagement of lock lever and lock-disk f immediately obstructs further llo' movement ofthe parts and holds the counterdisk or star-wheel 17 unyieldingly against the thrust of the fifty-first coin or the-like.

As the lock lever 28 swings to the described iiiterloeked relation to the lock-disk 28, it presses back the upper arm lof the lever niember 36, thereby swinging, the lower arm of said lever member lo the left. Such movement of the Vlever member 36 draws the connecting rod or link 42' to the left thus turning the crank-arm 41 and rocking the rock-shaft 4() to thereby rotate lhe'lift-cam 43 in lifting relation to the ack-rod 44. rfhe upward movement of the jack-rod thus caused, produees an 11p-lifting movement of ythe bearing sleeve 10 in the bearing slot 46, whereby the inner end of 'the propelling wheel shaft 12 is swungupward so as to lift the periphery of the propelling wheel away from the blocked coin, withoutJ .stopping theA driven rotation of said propellingwheel.

From the above it will be obvious,that iinniediately on locking ofcoiii counting mechanism and consequent bloclingof following coins against movement the aro aellin' wheel t3 7 23 is raised clear of theblocked coin', and con- Vsecpiently is not allowed torub thereon inthe` interval of/tiineduring which the counting mechanism remains locked.. As a conse- Vquence of the lifting clear of the propelling wheel, wear of the saine is substantially -reduced, so that its effective life is greatly prolonged, while at the sameftime undesired abrasion of coins or other devices being Ycounted is avoided. s

lminediately the operator swings the triplever to the left to release the lock-disk, the spring 38 returns lever-member 36 to normal position, which in turn reverses the rotation of the rock-shaft 4() and lift-cam 43, so that the jack-rod 44 is lowered, whereupon the shaft 12 and propelling wheel 14 are returned to normal operative positions, being aided in such return. movement by the tension of the spring pressed plunger 47.

I am aware that many changes could be made in the above-described mechanisms as counting mechanism including an actuatingv star-wheel and lock means for said counting mechanism including a spring biased lock lever; a coin propelling wheel to engage and move coins in actuating relation to said starivheel, a rotated shaft for driving said propelling wheel, bearings for said shaft, the inner of said bearings being adapted to support the wheel carrying end portion of said pelling wheel, bearings for said shaft, the inner of said bearings being adapted to sup-` port the wheel carrying end portion of said sliavftvsubject to vertical play whereby the saine may be lifted to raise said propelling wheel out of coin engagement, means to so lift said shaft, means to yieldably hold said shaft and propelling wheel in normal operative position,and'meaiis actuated by a lo'clring movement of said lock lever for operating said lift inea-iis.

Ina coin-counting machine havingy a counting mechanism including anA actuatingk star-wheel and lock means 4for said counting mechanism including spring biased lockY lever, a coin propelling wheelto engage and move coins in actuating relation to said starwheel, a! rotated shaft for driving-'said propelling wheel', bearings for said shaft, the

inner of said bearings being adapted to support the wheel carrying end portion of said shaft subject to vertical play wherebythe samev may be lifted to raise said propelling wheel out of coin engagement, means to yieldably hold said shaft v1and propelling wheel in normal operative position, a shaftflifting jack-rod, a lift cam for actuating said jackrod, and meansiactuated by a locking movenient of said lock lever for operatingsaid lock-lever for operating said lift cam.

4. In a coin-counting machine having a counting' mechanism including an actuating star-wheel and lock ineansfor said' counting mechanism including a spring biased .lock

lever, a coin propelling wheel to engage and move coins in actuating relation to said starwheel, a rotated shaftV for driving saidpropeiling'wheehbearmgs lfor said shaft, the inner of said bearings being adapted to support the wheel carrying end portion ofsaid shaftY Subject to vertical yplay whereby the same may be lifted toraisey saidvpropelling wheel out Aof coin engagement, vmeans to yieldablv hold said shaft and propellingwheel in normal operative position', a shaft'liftingjaclrocha-lift cam for actuating said jackrod,a rock-'shaft for mountinglsaid llift cam, a

crank-arm connectedV 'with lsaid rock-shaft, a

pivoted lever member, vand a connecting rod 'coupling' said lever memberr and crank-arm, said lever member being -operatively enanx , with arotated propelling Wheel for moving coins in operating engagement with said starwheel together with loclr means for said counting mechanism including a spring biased lock-lever; means for moving said propelling Wheel out of normal Coin propelling position, and means actuated by the locking movement of said lock lever for operating said latter means.

7. In a coin-counting machine having a coin operated counting mechanism with a rotatable coin propelling Wheel to engage and move coins in actuating relation to said counting mechanism and means to lock said counting` mechanism on completion of the count of a predetermined number of coins; means to lift said coin propelling Wheel out of coin engagement, and means Cooperative With and actuated by said lock means to operate said lift means when said counting mechanism is locked.

8. In a coin counting machine having a coin operated counting` mechanism with a coin propelling Wheel to engage and move coins in actuating relation to said counting mechanism and means to lock said counting mechanism on completion of the count of a predetermined number of coins; a rotated shaft for driving said Wheel, bearings for said shaft, the inner of said bearings being adapted to support the Wheel carrying end of said shaft subject to vertical play whereby the same may be lifted to raise said Wheel out of coin engagement, means to liftsaid shaft, and means cooperative with and actuated by said lock means to operate said lift means Y when said counting mechanism is locked.

9 In a coin count-ing machine Ahaving a coin operated counting mechanism With a coin propelling Wheel to engage and move coins in actuating relation to said counting mechanism and means to lock said counting mechanism on completion of the count cfa predetermined number of coins; a rotated shaft for driving said Wheel, bearings for said shaft,

theinner of said bearings being adapted to support the Wheel carrying end of said shaft subject to `vert-ical play whereby the same may be lifted to raise said Wheel out of coin engagement, means to yieldably hold said shaft and Wheel in normal operative position,

a shaft lifting jack-rod, a lift cam for actuating said jack-rod, and means cooperative With and actuated by said lock means to operate said lift cam When said counting mechanism is locked.

n 10. ln a vcoin counting machine having a coin operated counting mechanism With a coin propelling Wheel to engage and move coins in actuating relation to said counting mechanism and mea-ns to lock said counting mechanism on completion of the count of a predetermined number of coins; a rotated shaft for driving said Wheel, bearings for said shaft, the inner of said bearings being adapted to support the Wheel carrying end of said shaft subject to vertical play whereby the same may be lifted to raise said Wheel out of coin engagement, means to yieldably hold said shaft and wheel in normal operative position, a shaft lifting jack-rod, a lift cam for actuating said jack-rod, a rock-shaft for mounting said lift-cam, a crank-arm connected with said rock-shaft, a lever member, a connecting rod coupling said lever member and crank-arm, and a spring biased locklever cooperative with the counting mechanism lock means, said lock-lever being adapted to actuate said lever-member When moved to locking position.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of April, 1930.

EDVARD P. DONNELLAN. 

